Meaning & use
a brief illness
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseformal
A short period of being sick, especially one that ends in death and is mentioned in formal notices.
Grammar: Used after verbs like die, pass away, or as a cause: 'died after a brief illness'.
Patterns
- die after a brief illness
- following a brief illness
- after a brief illness
The former mayor died at his home after a brief illness.
She passed away on Monday following a brief illness.
The notice said he had been taken to hospital after a brief illness.
Common combinations
- die after a brief illness
- He died after a brief illness, surrounded by family.
- following a brief illness
- The ceremony was postponed following a brief illness in the family.
- a brief illness and death
- The biography describes his brief illness and death in just two pages.
Synonyms and how they differ
- a short illness
- More neutral and common in everyday speech; 'brief' sounds more formal and is typical in written death notices.
- a sudden illness
- Focuses on how quickly it started, not how long it lasted; 'brief' focuses on duration.
Opposites
Commonly confused: a brief illness or a brief disease?
a brief illness vs a brief disease
Not natural English. Use 'illness' for the state of being sick; 'disease' is a specific medical condition.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'a brief illness' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is strongly associated with formal death notices, so 'died after a brief illness' is the most natural. The other options are grammatically possible but sound odd because the phrase is not usually used for everyday minor sickness.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a brief illness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.